Monday, July 10, 2006
S. Cotabato hospital to get P50M for expansion
KORONADAL CITY -- The Provincial Government of South Cotabato plans to invest an additional P50 million over the next two years for the continuing upgrading and expansion of the provincial hospital here and for various public health services.
Dr. Edgardo Sandig, provincial health officer, said the fresh funds would be used to purchase modern medical equipment and the hiring of new personnel for the hospital's new annex building, which is now almost complete.
"The Provincial Government has committed to prioritize these investments, which are very essential in ensuring the delivery of proper public health services to our residents, especially the poor," he said.
Sandig said the hospital's annex building, which is worth about P40 million, would be opened during the province's 40th foundation anniversary on July 18.
Australian Ambassador Tony Hely, whose government served as one of the hospital's top donors during the past decade, would grace the opening of the new hospital facility.
Sandig said the opening of the new annex building and the upcoming purchase of new medical equipment would fast track the local government's bid to upgrade the provincial hospital into a full-fledged tertiary medical institution and eventually into a medical center.
He said the opening of the annex building would increase the provincial hospital's capacity from the current 150 to 200 beds.
South Cotabato Representative Arthur Pingoy Jr. earlier filed a bill at the House of Representatives for the conversion of the provincial hospital into training and medical center and the upgrading of its bed capacity to 200 beds.
Sandig said the provincial hospital is classified as a tertiary institution based on the license it obtained from the Department of Health but it still lacks some basic requirements to fully function as such.
"We still need to add resident doctors and specialists for our various departments. To attain full tertiary status and become a training facility, we need to have at least seven resident doctors per department," he said.
Presently, he said, only the family medicine department has a functional training department for medical interns.
The provincial hospital here regularly caters to patients from the province and from nearby Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and Maguindanao. (Allen V. Estabillo)
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(July 10, 2006 issue)
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